Business

Top object storage solutions for enterprises [2026]

Nathan James Turner

• 8 min read
Top object storage solutions for enterprises

While there are many benefits to traditional cloud storage solutions, sometimes enterprises need a more scalable way to manage and access large amounts of unstructured data.

So while cloud storage may be the perfect solution for small businesses, larger teams or enterprises should consider object storage to meet their storage needs without worrying about high costs, data loss, or compliance issues.

This is why many companies choose object storage providers to help them store and manage large-scale data without compromising speed, security, or fast access to important files.

For this article, we will cover the top object storage solutions for enterprises by covering the following topics:

  • How object storage works
  • Benefits of object storage
  • Top object storage solutions for enterprises
  • Features, roles, and trends of object storage
  • Object storage options

Object storage solutions are a valuable addition to any company’s data management strategy, so we will give you the information you need to understand more about this type of file storage and how to choose the best cloud storage to meet your needs.

Table of contents

How object storage works

There are three main types of cloud storage: file, block, and object storage.

Unlike file or block storage, cloud object storage doesn’t use a hierarchical storage structure. Instead, the data, metadata, and unique identifiers that make up the objects are stored in a single storage space.

Data can be accessed via APIs rather than direct file paths, so data is easier to retrieve, manage, and access more quickly.

Below is a summary of how object storage works:

  • Objects: Object storage stores data as objects, each containing the data, metadata, and a unique identifier.
  • Buckets: Objects are organized in flat buckets instead of folders to allow easy scaling.
  • Metadata: Metadata describes each object, such as type, creation date, and access patterns, enabling search and analytics.
  • Access: Applications retrieve objects via APIs using their unique identifier rather than traditional file paths.
  • Distribution: Objects are automatically distributed across multiple nodes for high durability and availability.
  • Automation: Automation and policies manage data movement, replication, and lifecycle actions like archiving or deletion.
What is object storage?
Internxt S3 cloud object storage

Why enterprises use an object storage platform

Traditional file and block storage systems can struggle when storing growing amounts of content, such as videos, backups, logs, and IoT data, as they are designed for structured and moderately sized files or blocks.

With such a high amount of data, the number of files or blocks grows into the millions or billions, so navigating the hierarchy and managing metadata becomes slow, inefficient, and costly.

In contrast, object storage stores data across many servers and locations while still making each object easily retrievable using a unique identifier to access it directly.

Other reasons companies opt for object storage include:

  • Direct access: An object’s unique ID allows for fast retrieval of objects without navigating folders or directories.
  • Durability and reliability: Data is often replicated across multiple locations to reduce the chance of accidental data loss by backing up your files in different locations and servers.
  • Security and compliance: Provides encryption, immutability, access controls, and audit trails to meet regulatory requirements with GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, and others.
  • Scalability: You can start your object storage plan with as much as you need, or from 1TB. Object storage can grow easily to store massive amounts of unstructured data, from terabytes to exabytes, without performance loss.

As companies grow and move towards more methods of digital management, all forms of cloud storage need to grow with them to meet the demands of technology and the needs of businesses.

Data management control

Enterprises also rely on intelligent data management to control costs and complexity. Object storage platforms increasingly use lifecycle policies to automatically move data between storage tiers based on usage patterns, retention requirements, and business value.

Frequently accessed data remains on high-performance tiers, while older or less critical data is shifted to lower-cost storage. Policy-driven placement ensures that data is always stored in the most appropriate location without manual intervention.

Hybrid and multi-cloud support

Object storage platforms must allow data to move easily between locations without requiring complex migrations or duplicate management systems. The flexibility of hybrid cloud storage helps organizations avoid dependency on a single provider while maintaining consistent data access and governance across environments.

AI and data management

Finally, enterprises expect object storage to become more intelligent and automated. Rich metadata enables advanced search, analytics, and data discovery at scale.

Automated classification helps organizations understand what data they have, where it resides, and how it should be managed. As AI-driven optimization matures, object storage platforms are increasingly able to predict access patterns, optimize placement, and reduce costs with minimal human involvement.

Role of top object storage solutions for enterprises

When enterprises choose object storage, the main role is to help store and access large amounts of data. But as technology becomes more advanced, and business needs grow, it can also offer secondary roles to help businesses.

Data storage foundation

Object storage serves as the core storage layer for unstructured data such as backups, logs, media files, and application data, as it offers greater speed and access to data, which surpasses traditional file systems.

AI and data analytics

AI features an essential role for some object storage providers to automatically classify and identify patterns for large datasets. AI for object storage can scan object data to identify trends, anomalies, and usage behaviour to give enterprises valuable insights to help manage data.

Internxt S3 is a cheap alternative to AWS

Hybrid and multi-cloud support

Object storage allows data to be stored and accessed across on-premises data centers and cloud environments. This flexibility helps organizations move data where it is needed without complex cloud migration strategies and reduces dependence on a single environment or provider.

Data protection and redundancy

Top object storage solutions are designed to be highly durable and resilient, as they store huge amounts of your data.

Data protection is achieved via replication across multiple data centers, so if anything happens to one center, your files are backed up in another location to ensure you can always access your data in case of natural disasters or other events.

Fault tolerance, encryption, and immutability are also essential roles in an object storage solution, as they help enterprises maintain business continuity, pass security audits, and meet regulatory requirements.

Automation and cost control

Another essential role of object storage is helping enterprises manage costs by using Artificial Intelligence and data analytics for greater automation and cost control.

For example, if you have a large amount of data backed up that hasn’t been accessed or modified for months, then AI-driven analytics can make you aware of this and move the files from hot to cold storage, which is designed for infrequently accessed files and therefore has lower storage costs.

When to choose object storage providers

Rapidly growing data

Whenever you need to add storage, you can edit your object storage plan to meet your growing needs. This prevents you from having to redesign your cloud architecture or migrate all your data to another service, as you simply need to add more storage to your current subscription.

Distributed access

If you want to ensure maximum accessibility to your data, then object storage is an ideal option for this use case.

With this kind of cloud storage, copies of your data are spread across multiple servers or data centers, so when an application requests an object, the system can access any of the copies quickly, no matter where you are located, or if one of the nodes is down.

Cost efficiency

If you choose an object storage like Internxt S3, it is the most efficient way to pay for object storage, as it has a fixed fee of €7/TB/month, with no additional charges for moving data in or out of the cloud, known as egress and ingress fees.

Other object storage providers, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, can have complex S3 storage costs that can be complex to manage or understand, even with their pricing calculator.

But in general, object storage is considered the best storage option for businesses to manage large amounts of data if the costs are managed correctly.

Building modern data platforms

Some providers allow for metadata and API-driven access make it easy to integrate with processing engines, machine learning frameworks, and visualization tools.

For example, a data platform could use metadata to tag all customer transaction files by date and region. A machine learning pipeline can then use the API to pull only the relevant files for training a sales prediction model, while a visualization tool can query the same metadata to generate regional sales dashboards in real time.

Retention, security, and compliance

For enterprises, storing large amounts of data will also require multiple security requirements on top of the industry-standard encryption protocols.

Enterprises may be audited and checked to ensure they meet certain compliance regulations, depending on the industry, such as HIPAA for sensitive medical data. Other relevant object storage solutions will also comply with GDPR and other necessary compliance regulations, such as SOC 2.

Internxt S3 object storage

Object storage options for enterprises

Internxt S3

Internxt S3 is a European object storage service and an alternative to AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. It offers advanced security, redundancy, and hot cloud storage for rapid access to large amounts of data.

Internxt S3 guarantees 99.999999999% (11 9s) of data durability for each object, ensuring maximum protection against data loss or corruption. This is also combined with multiple compliance standards such as GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, and SOC 2, so Intternxt is one of the top object solutions for multiple enterprises, no matter what kind of data they store.

For easy scalability, affordability, and predictability, Internxt S3 offers a fixed pay-as-you-go plan of €7 / TB / month, with no additional egress or ingress fees. If you want to reduce or add more storage, you just need to add the terabytes you need, and your subscription will update accordingly.

Internxt S3 cloud object storage costs

To get started with Internxt S3 and to contact a member of our sales team, visit the link below.

Internxt S3 for enterprises

Frequently asked questions

What is the best object storage platform for enterprises?

Internxt S3 offers high-performance object storage with advanced security features and multiple compliance at a fixed cost of €7/TB/month.

If your company is looking for a scalable, affordable solution to store large amounts of data, then Internxt cloud object storage is the right solution for your team.

How much does object storage cost?

Object storage costs depend on the provider and your specific use case. AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud prices may have extra fees for moving files in or out of the cloud.

For these services, you would have to use a price calculator to estimate your costs, or use Internxt for a fixed pay-as-you-go pricing model that you can scale to meet your needs.

What is the role of metadata in object storage?

Metadata allows enterprises to tag, search, analyze, and manage objects at scale. It enables automation, analytics, lifecycle management, and integration with AI and data platforms.

When should an enterprise choose object storage over traditional cloud storage?

Enterprises should choose object storage when managing rapidly growing unstructured data, requiring global access, needing strong durability and compliance, or building modern data platforms for analytics and AI.

How scalable are enterprise object storage solutions?

Object storage solutions are designed to scale from a few terabytes to multiple exabytes without performance degradation, making them suitable for long-term enterprise growth.